I saw some really great theater. It included Wild Bride, one of the best overall productions I have ever seen, that was seamless and magical and just generally beautiful. Plus, all the cast were multi-talented, like the actor/dancer or the actor/amazing violinist and more. Fantastic. The really great theater also included some local theater, a Maori version of the Shakespearean tragedy Troilus and Cressida and a fair amount of circus. Even if all the theater I saw wasn't great it was all pretty good, and my gosh there was a lot in a small time. That's what you get when the NZ International Arts Festival rides in on the tail of the local Fringe Festival and Wellington goes arts-mad for weeks. It was wonderful.
I biked a lot. That shouldn't surprise anyone, really. I also learned how unpleasant high winds can be while biking. At one point I even got off my bike and walked, which is the ultimate humbling experience for a cyclist. I also volunteered at Mechanical Tempest helping people fix their bikes! I seem to have become the go-to person for truing wheels, go figure. Overall, bikes are great.
I did lots of gardening, but actually more organizing for gardening than gardening itself, which I suppose is always the catch with community gardening. I'm helping get other people to do it, but with less time with my hands in the soil myself, which is odd. I will work to change this in the future! A lot of good stuff got done, though, including applying for grants, workshop coordinating and making some exciting plans for the year ahead. You know, after I come back from Japan and get back into it, of course...
The pop-up garden, my original reason for going to Wellington, finished three weeks later than scheduled. The soil, bags and plants all got delivered to the garden I have been working with. I did some interviews for the Council on the Kilbirnie Pop-Up Garden, which was interesting. I've realized that I just love talking to people about their gardens. Gardeners really love talking about what they do, and you can learn heaps, like how to grow tomato plants from the laterals of old tomato plants! (sorry, nerdy gardener moment)
I also made some friends, hung out with my flatmates alot, connected to some old friends, and generally had a good time. I had an even better time once my sister arrived, so the last four days I spent with her in Wellington were great! The weather decided to turn lovely just for her, so we walked, biked, hung out and swam in the iciest sea water I have ever decided that it was a good idea to enter. You know when your chest gets so cold you feel like you can't breathe? Yep, it was like that.
So now we're down in Nelson, all four family members together and having a great time (including swimming in not quite as cold but still distinctly chilly water)! But more on that later!
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